German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

Mediterranean: German FM Calls For Dialogue

August 26, 2020

Ahead of his mediation trip, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday called on Greece and Turkey to discuss their territorial claims in the Mediterranean.

“A further escalation can only harm everyone, but above all those directly involved on site,” Xinhua news agency quoted Maas as saying in a statement released by the German Foreign Office.

“Instead of new provocations, it is now finally necessary to take steps to relax and enter into direct discussions.

“We want to support all of our efforts,” the Minister added.

“Turkey and Greece are our NATO allies. Solutions to the disputes over the natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean can only be found based on international law and in honest dialogue with one another,” Maas added.

Maas will first meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Athens, and then meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

The dispute over Turkish natural gas explorations off Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean has escalated in recent weeks.

Greece considers the explorations illegal.

The European Union (EU) has also condemned the Turkish actions and asked Ankara to stop them.

The Ankara government on the other hand believes the waters, in which natural gas is being drilled on a trial basis, belong to the Turkish continental shelf.

In the latest escalation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 21 had announced that his country has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez further said that another 6,000 square kilometres of seismic work would be carried out in the region to discover more gas.

Meanwhile, EU Foreign Ministers will hold an informal meeting on Thursday and Friday in Berlin, during which relations with Turkey will be discussed.

Also Read: EU warns Turkey over E. Mediterranean

Also Read: Merkel, Erdogan discuss Mediterranean

Previous Story

Asian Lite Daily Digital – UAE Set To Begin Safe, Futuristic School Year

Next Story

Emirates transport set to ferry school children

Latest from -Top News

Sisi, MBZ cement ties

UAE and Egypt bolster ties through high-level talks in Abu Dhabi and a landmark cardiac care initiative delivering lifesaving treatment to rural

70,000 Gaza kids starve

WFP warned that any further escalation of conflict could paralyse relief operations altogether, deepening the plight of civilians—especially children, the elderly, and

Prayers on the Mount

The Day of Arafat, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj pilgrimage, witnessed a congregation of believers from around the world As the

EID MUBARAK!

UAE marks Eid Al Adha with housing support, children’s gifts, pardons, and cultural celebrations, reflecting a national spirit of compassion, unity, and